The U.S. State Department is developing an online portal that will enable people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned by their governments including alleged hate speech and terrorist propaganda, a move Washington views as a way to counter censorship, sources said.
The site will be hosted at “freedom.gov,” the sources said. One source said officials had discussed including a virtual private network function to make a user’s traffic appear to originate in the U.S. and added that user activity on the site will not be tracked.
Headed by Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers, the project was expected to be unveiled at last week’s Munich Security Conference but was delayed, the sources said.
The project could further strain ties between the Trump administration and traditional U.S. allies in Europe, already heightened by disputes over trade, Russia’s war in Ukraine and President Donald Trump’s push to assert control over Greenland.
The portal could also put Washington in the unfamiliar position of appearing to encourage citizens to flout local laws.
Trump Administration Targets EU Digital Speech Rules
The Trump administration has made free speech, particularly what it sees as the stifling of conservative voices online, a focus of its foreign policy including in Europe and in Brazil.
U.S. officials have denounced EU policies that they say are suppressing right-wing politicians, including in Romania, Germany and France, and have claimed rules like the EU’s Digital Services Act and Britain’s Online Safety Act limit free speech.
In rules that fall most heavily on social media sites and large platforms like Meta’s Facebook and X, the EU restricts the availability — and in some cases requires rapid removal — of content classified as illegal hate speech, terrorist propaganda or harmful disinformation under a group of rules, laws and decisions since 2008.
Friction With European Regulators
Rogers has become a vocal defender of the Donald Trump administration’s stance against EU content rules, visiting several European countries and meeting right-wing groups it says face repression.
National Security Strategy warned Europe risks “civilisational erasure” from migration and pledged U.S. support for resistance. EU regulators can fine or ban platforms, including X, fined €120 million. Germany and Meta have enforced content removals.
Critics say the proposed freedom.gov portal could undermine European digital laws.
(With inputs from Reuters)
